Attention everyone: how to post your images

If you do not have a website and you wish to post an image from your hard drive on the Bulletin Board (provided that you own the copyright or have permission, of course), please note a new and very recommended service called ImageShack.

The service allows you to upload - without registration or any fee whatsoever - any image (up to 800kb) and provides you with the appropriate link to post on the BB. It even provides you with a thumbnail option that includes details of the image size and is linked to the large image - something I encourage you to use.

The images remain stored and available for a minimum of a year since they were last viewed (that is, if an image is not viewed for at least 1 year straight, it will be removed. Every time the image is viewed, the countdown is reset).

ads, page views. You can link an image directly, but you can also use the thumbnail option - which I personally find more comfortable. And if you use the thumbnail option, if you click on the thumb, the new image opens in a separate page that has text (google) ads. So it's very subtle and unobtrusive, but offers them a stream of income.

Storage isn't expensive. I don't think the overhead expenses of such a service are very big, while the potential is quite good from a business perspective.

To select any of the options, you click on the "COPY" icon next to each:

Option 1: "Post your image on message boards!"

This option - if you click on "COPY" copies the correct line for the IMG code that will allow you to include the image in a post on a BB such as Atlas F1. You can paste that line into a post on this forum, and it will look something like [IMG ]http://img16.exs.cx/...7/yourimage.jpg[/ IMG]

I think it's safe to say you don't need to worry about this option, but for reference - this provides you with the HTML code required to include an image on an HTML page, whether one you have on your own website or, as in their example, one you would like to include in your Ebay sale. The code would look something like http://img16.exs.cx/.../yourimage.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

Option 3: "Link your image to friends or view the image yourself"

This option is good if you want to send the link to the image by email, for example, or save it in your Favourites. It is a link to the page that displays your image and the code copied would like something like http://img16.exs.cx/...e=yourimage.jpg

Option 4: "Hotlink a clickable thumbnail on your website:

This option is similar to option 2 and likewise, I doubt it interests you. In this case, the code copied is intended for HTML page, if you wish to present a thumbnail of your image - which, when clicked, opens the image in large format. In this case, the code would like like http://img16.exs.cx/...=yourimage.jpg" target="_blank">http://img16.exs.cx/...urimage.th.jpg" border="0" title="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" />

Option 5: "Hotlink a clickable thumbnail onto a message board"

In this option, like in option 1, you copy the code that allows you to include your image in a post on a forum like TNF - however unlike option 1, option 5 will include only a thumbnail of the image which, if clicked on, will open the image in full size (you can see for example Vincenzo Lancia's post above). In this option, the code will look like [ URL=http://img16.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img16&image=yourimage.jpg][ IMG]http://img16.exs.cx/...ourimage.th.jpg[/IMG ][/URL ]

Option 6: "Here is a direct link to your image"

This option is similar to option 3, however while option 3 is a link to a web page with the Image Shack text-ads and logo above your own image, option 6 is a direct link to the image only. Again, this is good if you want to save a link to your image in the Favourites or e-mail it to friends, etc. The code will look like http://img16.exs.cx/...2/yourimage.jpg

For the sake of posting on the forum, you should use either option 1 or option 5 (the two options that offer you to copy a code for message boards). Use option 1 if you have a small to medium image that you want to include in your post, and option 5 if the image is large or very large - so it will only include a thumbnail in your post but allow the members to click on it and see the image in full size.

This is extremely embarassing Ray, but I still don't get it. (Thank heavens for the anonymity of these forums). I bring up the page you show easily enough, but where do I click on this page for the alternatives of thumbnail or otherwise? My images are in Adobe Active Share - how do I get them out of this and up onto the page to allow them to be selected? How did you get the second page you show? And this is really admitting to almost total computer illiteracy, how do you cut and paste? If you are too exasperated by this to continue I understand, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there are quite a few others in my category who may be hanging on to your advice with some rising excitement. (Incidentally, an acquaintance here in Melbourne has just casually mentioned that he has a 1000 color slide collection of vintage car meets, hill climbs etc taken in Victoria in the 50's. Some AGP stuff. He is about to give it away. I am happy to provide his contact details to anyone interested).

Sandy, you start by clicking ImageShack's Browse button and then finding the image on your computer. I imagine Adobe's ActiveShare is just a program - the images live somewhere on a disk drive.

You should eventually find your picture to be uploaded and then click the Host It! button. Then you will see Ray's first thumbnail page. When I did it I found I had to scroll up to the top of the page to see the thumbnail option. Click the field with the code in it (the link). The whole address will highlight and then..

Copy (Keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C) the address - it is now in you computer's clipboard. Don't switch the power off as it only exists in memory and go back to the place where you are preparing your post which will contain the thumbnail.

Paste (Ctrl + V) the link from your clipboard and click OK again: A Lotus Mk VI in the USAThen test it by clicking Preview Reply and your text and thumbnail will appear. Check that it works by clicking the thumbnail. Make any last minute adjustments, Preview Reply again and then Submit the Reply[Edited 5 minutes later as I didn't follow my own instructions]Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting

Originally posted by sandy .....I have a sneaking suspicion that there are quite a few others in my category who may be hanging on to your advice with some rising excitement. (Incidentally, an acquaintance here in Melbourne has just casually mentioned that he has a 1000 color slide collection of vintage car meets, hill climbs etc taken in Victoria in the 50's. Some AGP stuff. He is about to give it away. I am happy to provide his contact details to anyone interested).

I know that's true... and it will expand the horizons here when they get to it...

Charles has covered it fairly well, Adobe ActiveShare is a program. What the 'browse' button allows you to do is search your computer for the picture you want to post. Undoubtedly you'll start with clicking on your hard drive in the box that opens, then 'Adobe' and then 'ActiveShare'... I guess that's the path you'll follow.

When you find it you simply click on the image icon, the image location shows in the 'browse' segment, click 'host' and wait... it does take a while sometimes.

If you're happy to use the keyboard shortcuts Charles describes, then they'll become easy enough for you. I prefer to right click on the highlighted line with my mouse and then left click 'copy' when the dialog opens. Then I right click where I want the line pasted and left click 'paste'. But that's up to you, make your decision about which one to use, maybe write it down and keep a little card under your keyboard until you get used to it.

As far as those slides go, I would be delighted to take on the task of scanning them! It's a fairly big job, but those would be very handy for me at times, and for others, and I imagine he wants them shared?

I will scan them, give them all back to him (and you?) on a CD, we'd have to decide what happens to archive the slides themselves, but with his permission we could make them available to a lot of people who'd be very happy to have them

I am a new member and would like to know if anyone has posted photos that had been uploaded to the Epson Photo Center web site? If you have experience with this site I would appreciate any help in how to post to TNF.

Pedro's pic of Mozart is 126kb. I opened it in Irfanview and found that it's 72dpi, which with a photo that size shouldn't be anything like 126kb. So I enlarged it by 10%, closed it and reopened it, it's now 51kb.

How does that work? In fact, why is it that some pictures are just larger files than others, same size pics, same resolution?

Pedro's pic of Mozart is 126kb. I opened it in Irfanview and found that it's 72dpi, which with a photo that size shouldn't be anything like 126kb. So I enlarged it by 10%, closed it and reopened it, it's now 51kb.

How does that work? In fact, why is it that some pictures are just larger files than others, same size pics, same resolution?

"DPI" is printer-related, independent of "PPI", which is resolution-specification.

The deflated file-size number will be a result of the parameters applied to the size-change and the save. I did the same thing—increase the side length by ten percent and save—and now have a 326K file.

Irfanview lets you choose how to process the data when sizes are changed, and I chose "Resample Lanczos". That way it uses complex algorithms to decide what the data will look like. The other choice doesn't work as hard or as well, so the approximations are sloppier, and show it, but take less room on a disk.

JPEG files lose data at every save, and in proportion to the compression applied. My save was at 100%, as little compression as avalable; I saved the same 10%-larger file again at 60%, and it came down to 58K.

Choices are usually made to best fit the end use. My experience is that for computer screen display there is little visible gain using compression greater than Photo Shop Save For Web 60, and relatively little return in using more than Photo Shop Save For Web 30. I don't know how those numbers relate to Irfanview compression numbers.

What's happening, I assume, is you are clicking on the image code above the reply box instead of just allowing the code as copied from Image Shack to do its job. So you finish up with the image code showing twice in your post.

Originally posted by Paul Rochdale ...if you look at 'Driver Burial Locations',I'm making a dogs dinner of this Image Shack business. I've successfully loaded images onto the BB before but I don't do it often enough to become competent at it.

Thank you Twinny, but it doesn't help me with why I have so much trouble with it. I hate to muck up the BB with my unforced errors. There's clearly a reason why we can't add images from our personal records in the normal way although I can't think what it could be.

Paul, I do find that the Preview Reply button is most useful. It lets you see the post before you Submit it so if it's not what you intended then you can try again. You can use it to check that links work as well as previewing your thumbnails and pictures. If the link always opens in a new window then you won't lose your post - apologies if you already know all this. I keep my uploaded pictures and links on Image Shack in a separate window as well - having lost both thumbnail and large picture link. I had to upload them again.

Originally posted by Paul Rochdale Thank you Twinny, but it doesn't help me with why I have so much trouble with it. I hate to muck up the BB with my unforced errors. There's clearly a reason why we can't add images from our personal records in the normal way although I can't think what it could be.

I suggest you simply persist, Paul - I doubt there are many of us who didn't struggle to begin with (I know I did...).

And Charles' advice above is extremely practical; please do use the 'Preview Reply' facility as many times as you like, as there's no limit.

I'm certain that - after a little perseverance - it'll all suddenly click into place for you!

bira (or anyone who understands this)
I just tried to upload a picture. Clicked the image shack link in bira's first post, followed the instructions, got as far as putting in my TNF user name, password and even cut-and-pasted the http for this thread, clicked the Post to BB button and got:
Log in failed
Internal Server Error.

He might have done a child's guide in an earlier post but I still can't get it right, even after posting quite a few images on here. Please have a look at the Driver's Grave Locations, at the last couple of entries. At first I tried the thumbnail method but even when enlarged, the writing is difficult to read especially on 50yr old headstones. I tried the 'Hotlink for Forums' option and that's barely any better. The Alan Stacey headstone is unreadable. Perhaps the originals are too small. It certainly filled the viewfinder on my digital camera. It's probably just an age thing as I find simply everything too damned complicated these days - and please don't mention 'compression' either. Perhaps I should go to night school and have someone show me the ropes?

BTW, for those having difficulties with resizing images, if you get an account at Photobucket, you can resize the image there: they have reduction options, and provide the cut and paste codes you need for images here.

Having just read this thread, it is something to note that all those Imageshack images are still working nearly two years on.

I tried, tried,triedand kept making a dog's load of it.
Then finally success and what happens ?
I post a pic from autosport.com which has been publicized
to millions on their pc and get bira all over me.

All of a sudden I couldn't care tiddy winks how Image Shack
works any more.

Originally posted by macoran I tried, tried,triedand kept making a dog's load of it.Then finally success and what happens ?I post a pic from autosport.com which has been publicizedto millions on their pc and get bira all over me.

All of a sudden I couldn't care tiddy winks how Image Shackworks any more.

Are ppl still having troubles uploading pictures? In case anyone's running Opera, I would like to mention that it, in my expirience, doesn't work very well with Imageshack. Earlier versions crashed when I tried to view Imageshack pics, but the one I use now (9 beta) works well in that respect, although it will not upload pictures. In that case other browser (M$IE that comes with Windows, or Firefox, &c) should be used to upload piccies.

You can either link to the image as you have done above, or upload it directly from your hard drive to ImageShack or similar.

The latter couldn't be easier - simply click on the browse button and navigate through your pc to the appropriate file. One important thing to remember, though, is to create a smaller, re-sized copy of any images you want to post beforehand. The ideal size is approximately 650 pixels width - and make sure that you save the smaller copy with a modified file name (I normally add 'LR' to the end - 'LR' being for 'low resolution').

Or (and I use your pic by way of demonstration only...) you can bring the pic up on screen via that web page, then click on 'ctrl' + 'Print Screen' at the same time, then that picture is on your computer clipboard...

You then open a graphics program (I use Irfanview, but Paint will do), crop in to get just the pic you want and save it as a .jpg file and then upload it to Image Shack or Tinypic and post it... so:

Personally, I paste all the separate URLs generated by Image Shack for each photo into a Word document, then paste the whole document into the TNF reply window. (Of course using the preview facility before posting, just to check it all works)